Kith-Kanan Silvanos (2308 PC - 1892 PC) was born the son of the Speaker of the Stars Sithel Silvanos and Nirakina Silver Moon, and was the twin brother of Sithas Silvanos. The birth of elven twins is a very rare occurrence and cause for great celebration. Kith-Kanan had brown skin & eyes, broad shoulders, and hard muscles in his younger years.
Early Life[]
The early part of Kith-Kanan's life was a relatively easy one. He had no cares other than his early tutoring, and began traveling into the woods to converse with Kagonesti scouts or just traveling around on his Griffon Arcuballis. His early love was a young elven noble Hermathya Oakleaf, but this would only lead to heartbreak for the young prince.
In the year 2193 PC, his father Sithel announced that Sithas would marry Hermathya, not knowing that Kith-Kanan already had been seeing the elven noble. In a fury, Kith-Kanan left the elven capital of Silvanost to find his way in the wilds to the west. In the forests of Mithranhana he met a young Silvanesti elven boy, Mackeli, living with a Kagonesti "savage", Anaya. He would learn many talents that would help him in the future, such as the ability to hunt very quietly.
Kith-Kanan grew very close to Anaya, and in 2192 PC they were married in her cave, by mixing their blood and exchanging their vows to each other. Mackeli became as a son to Kith-Kanan and Anaya, and soon Anaya showed signs of being pregnant. Unfortunately, their love was a short-lived one.
Humans led by Voltorno were raiding the woodlands of Mithranhama to take trees back to the Empire of Ergoth to build up a massive fleet. Voltorno kidnaps Kith-Kanan, but is freed not too long after that when Anaya killed Voltorno in single combat, but at the cost of her own life and that of their unborn child. Kith-Kanan watched in grief as his first wife died and turned into an oak tree in the Grove of Anaya's Tree as it is later called. However, she told him that their child is still alive inside of her and will be born a long time from now. Following her death, Kith-Kanan and Mackeli returned to Silvanost, to find things had changed there a lot, and that the elven nation sat poised for war with the Empire of Ergoth.
Upon Kith-Kanan's return from western Silvanesti, he told of what Voltorno and the Empire of Ergoth had been doing in the west. Thorbardin, who was also at the talks between Silvanesti and the Empire, agreed with Silvanesti that these attacks had to stop. A peace deal was worked out between the three that each nation would go out and assist their people by arming them. Kith-Kanan was nominated to lead this army to the west for Silvanesti by his brother Sithas at the prodding of Hermathya.
Kith-Kanan took to training his new recruits and when they were ready, marched them out the gates into the Silvanesti wilds. Tragedy struck again against Kith-Kanan when Mackeli was killed in an assassination attempt against Kith. Hermathya sent these assassins against him for Kith scorning her when he had returned to the capital. Deprived of his last ties to the wilds, Kith threw himself into the task of arming the commoners with a passion, which eventually led him to the building of Sithelbec in the middle of the plains.
Once the city was created, he invited his father Sithel out to view the fortress. Upon his arrival, they decided to go on a boar hunt, where an Ergothian Human named Dremic, assassinated Sithel, and Sithas became the new Speaker of the Stars. All Kith could do was watch in horror as his peace plans turned to war and the Kinslayer War began.
Kinslayer War[]
Following the death of Sithel, war broke out between Silvanesti and the Empire of Ergoth. Kith-Kanan was kept very busy leading the army for the Silvanesti. His armies were originally composed of Silvanesti and a few Kagonesti and humans. As the war dragged out, they gained the alliance of dwarves from Thorbardin and had to hire human mercenaries.
During the years of this war, Kith-Kanan met Suzine des Quivalin, who was lovers with General Giarna from the Empire of Ergoth. Over the course of the war, they were married and had two children, Verhanna Kanan and Ulvian Kanan, both half-elves.
The war continued, including the Siege of Sithelbec, and concluded on the plains and forest over many miles during a storm. There General Giarna met Kith-Kanan in single combat and knocked him to the ground. When defeat seemed most likely, a hill giant named One-Tooth came to Kith's rescue, crushing and killing Giarna. This ended the war between humans and elves, with the elves gaining back their western lands in the signing of the Swordsheath Scroll.
Founding of Qualinesti[]
Following the signing of that great document, in 2073 PC Kith-Kanan named his new nation Qualinesti, which sits on the forests of Mithranhana to this day. He also took the title of Speaker of the Sun. During the years of 2050 PC-2030 PC, many Silvanesti elves began the migration west to the new lands of Qualinesti. This greatly angered Sithas, who stopped his people from leaving. Communications between the brothers stopped.
In the founding of Kith's new nation, he outlawed slavery on all his lands except for criminals who are caught by the law. They are taken to the new fortress of Pax Tharkas that is being built between Thorbardin and Qualinesti.
In the months before Kith's death, his son by Anaya was finally born from her tree. At first people called him Greenhands, due to his lack of a name, but Kith named him Silveran Kanan upon meeting him. Kith was taken with Silveran and announced him as next in line to the throne of Speaker of the Sun. This greatly angered Kith-Kanan's son Ulvian, who turned to dark magic to try and take the throne.
Death of the Speaker[]
Ulvian used black magic to twist Silveran's mind to the point that Silveran accidentally used the great hammer Sunderer to hit Kith-Kanan in the head, who he was seeing as a person Silveran had killed. As Kith-Kanan lay on his deathbed, he announced to Verhanna and Tamanier Ambrodel that Silveran was to take the throne and that Ulvian was to be let go for his dark deeds, even though Verhanna, Kith's daughter, wanted to execute him. He passed in the night, with the name Anaya as his last breath in 1892 PC.
Kith-Kanan was buried in the Hall of the Ancients in the Sla-Mori of Pax Tharkas. There his undead warriors of the Kith-Kanan's Royal Guard protect him in death. During the War of the Lance in the fall of 351 AC, Kith-Kanan gave his sword Wyrmslayer to Tanis.
Inconsistencies[]
Some people believe that Kith-Kanan is the son of Silvanos Goldeneye, or that he had led his people to the new lands of Qualinesti following the Second Dragon War, but these are errors in thought.
References[]
- The Annotated Dragonlance Chronicles, Autumn Twilight, p. 391
- Blades of the Tiger, p. 54
- DL2: Dragons of Flame, p. 10, 20
- Dragonlance Campaign Setting, p. 201
- Dragons of the Dwarven Depths (PB) p. 362
- Firstborn, p. 1-2, 9, 13, 29, 63, 168, 155, 212-215, 270
- The Inheritance, p. 169
- The Kinslayer Wars, p. 6, 14, 21-23, 272
- The Odyssey of Gilthanas, p. 295
- The Qualinesti, p. 3, 13-15, 38, 63, 305